Luke John Beckett (born 25 November 1976) is an English former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a striker from 1998 to 2012. Born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

, England, Beckett played in the Football League for ten years notably appearing for

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. Th ...

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport Co ...

and

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

, having also played for Chester City, Chesterfield,

Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough Trinity Football Club is a football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. Established in 1873, the club became members of the Football League in 1893 and remained members of the Second Division until 1912, making Gainsbo ...

Worksop Town Worksop Town Football Club is an English football club based in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. As of the 2021–22 season the team plays in the . They are nicknamed ''The Tigers'' and play their home games at Sandy Lane in Worksop. History First clu ...

and

Goole Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. According to the 2011 UK census, Goole parish had a population of 19,518, an increa ...

Career

Beckett made his name as a prolific striker since making his Football League début for Chester City in a 2–0 defeat by

Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...

in August 1998. He had been signed on a free transfer from Barnsley and was to be a big hit in his two years with Chester, winning the club's player of the season award in 1999–2000. This season saw Chester relegated from

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

and Beckett moved to Chesterfield. Despite the Spireites suffering a points deduction for off-field matters, Beckett helped them win promotion from

Division Three The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the fo ...

in 2000–01 and he would go on to be similarly prolific for

scoring nearly 50 goals in 2 years. This prompted a move to

in November 2004 for £50,000. However, he never scored for the Blades and spent most of his two seasons as a United player out on loan at

. £20,000 of his loan fee to Oldham was subsidised by

Trust Oldham OASF (formerly Trust Oldham) is a supporters' trust, for the English football club, Oldham Athletic based in Oldham, Greater Manchester. Background OASF was formed in 2003, after previous ''Latics'' owner Chris Moore left the club in financial ...

. He was also on loan at

where his six goals in seven appearances in 2005 persuaded Terriers manager Peter Jackson to sign Beckett on 3 July 2006, for £85,000, on a three-year deal. On 5 January 2008, Beckett scored the opening goal in a 2–1 victory over

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

side

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Sin ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

third round. He scored in the following round as Huddersfield defeated

1–0. He was believed to be close to signing for

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

side

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. ...

in May, and was later ready to sign for

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

in the Conference National, but could not reach an agreement over the remainder of his contract with Huddersfield. On 27 November, he joined

Conference North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Syst ...

side

on a short-term contract after paying off the remainder of his contract with Huddersfield. Beckett made his Trinity debut two days later; after setting up the first two goals, he scored the third goal in the club's 3–0 win over

Harrogate Town Harrogate Town A.F.C. is a professional association football club in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, which competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed the Sulphurites, due to the ...

. In January, he extended his stay with Gainsborough until the end of the 2008–09 season. On 11 March 2011 Beckett joined

on loan for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. Upon the completion of the 2010–11 season Beckett was released by Trinity. In March 2012 he joined

, where he saw out the remainder of the 2012–13 season.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beckett, Luke 1976 births Living people Footballers from Sheffield English footballers Association football forwards Barnsley F.C. players Chester City F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Stockport County F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Gainsborough Trinity F.C. players Worksop Town F.C. players Goole A.F.C. players English Football League players